Travel Is the Number One Mood Booster, According to New Survey

Priceline.com released their “Traveler’s Sweet Spot” survey last week, and more than half of respondents said that traveling improves their attitude more than exercise or shopping.

The survey of 1,005 U.S. adults, which Wakefield Research conducted on behalf of the travel booking site, also looked at what types of trips boosted people’s moods the most. Thirty-eight percent of men and 34 percent of women said romantic getaways were the best vacations. The next best mood-boosting trips were a family escapes (33 percent of all respondents) and retreats with good friends (23 percent).

The survey found that a trip doesn’t have to be long getaway to provide a boost. Four out of five Americans would rather take multiple, short getaways than one long vacation this year. Forty-four percent would like to take three to four trips this year to be happier, while nearly 10 percent would like to take seven or more trips in 2016.

"Research tells us that 44 percent of Americans frequently regret not being able to go on more trips, and the majority are not booking these trips due to travel costs," said Brigit Zimmerman, senior vice president of Air and Vacation Packages for priceline.com.

Perhaps that's why Americans left so many vacation days on the table yet again in 2015.